The present invention relates to meter boxes and mountings for fluid meters. It more particularly relates to meter boxes for water meters of the type to be installed outdoors flush with the surface of the ground. It further relates to the construction of such meter boxes.
In the past, there have been numerous constructions of meter boxes. Examples are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,913,400 to Floren, 3,443,436 to Meyer, 3,212,339 to Rivero, 2,619,837 to Ford, 2,018,615 to Lofton, and 1,169,976 to Lofton. Typically these were made from a heavy cast iron design. To assemble the meter in the meter box was a complicated process requiring the installation (usually with nuts and bolts) of the inlet and outlet fittings to the box, the hook-up of the meter to the one fitting, and the hook-up of the meter at its other end to an expansion mechanism which was attached to the other fitting. It was also necessary to secure the middle or collar portion of the box to the bottom tray through a complicated and time consuming bolt and nut assembly. Since the fittings were separate from the mounting box itself, relative movement was frequent and fittings would become misaligned with the meter. Leaking of the fluid was occurring between the recess of the inlet valve and the expansion mechanism and between the meter and the recess of the outlet fitting.
In the copending application, Ser. No. 781,785 filed Sept. 30, 1985, for Meter Box, Inventor Jose Rivero, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,305, issued June 2, 1987, a meter box is described which has the fittings as part of the meter box and there is assembly without the need for nuts and bolts which had heretofore been needed. However, this device did not cure all of the difficulties encountered in meter boxes, such as the cost of construction of the molds to produce the bottom tray part of the box, due to its complicated structure. Further, when the fitting wears because of use, the whole bottom of the box has to be replaced.